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2 Shee1is-Shee't 1.

(No Model.)

P J PATTERSON SEAL LOCK FORCASH REGISTERS.

No. 532,813. Patented Jan. 22, 1895.

laden/i0? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No ModeL) F, J. PATTERSON. SEAL LOOK FOR CASH REGISTERS.

No. 532,813. Patented Jan. 22, 1895.

3 (yawn zns co. moraumc WASHINGTON a. c.

QATENT OFFICE;

FRANK J. PATTERSON, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL CASH REGISTER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SEAL-LOCK FOR CASH-REGISTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,813, dated January 22, 1895.

Application filed January 2'7, 1894. Serial No. 498,247. (No model.)

It is desirable in the use of this class of ma-: chines that the clerks shall not be able to obtain access to the interior of the machine and to the registering mechanism without the f knowledge of the proprietor, and to that end the working parts of the machine are always inclosed in acasing provided with a lid controlled by a lock, the key of which the pro- As a further safeguard against tampering with the machine by the clerks or other unauthorized perprietor keeps in his possession.

sons, and to prevent access being had to the register without knowledge of the proprietor even in case a key fitting the lock should be obtained, it has been common to provide the machines with what have been known as lidregisters, to wit, registers actuated by the openings and closings of the lid, or by the manipulations of its lock, to preserve a reci 0rd of such openings and closings or lockin gs and unlockings. These lid-registers are sealed or otherwise made inaccessible to both the clerks and the proprietor even when the lid I is opened, so that the registries indicated by them cannot be changed by hand. They are not capable of being re-set to zero except by being run out, that is by being actuatedv (by opening and closing the lid or working the lock) until the highest number they are capable of registering is added upon them, whereupon they will run out and begin over again.

As an additional safeguard against unauthorizedaccess to the machine, to be used either in addition to or as a substitute for such lid-registers and lock-registers, I have combined a seal-lock with the lid of the register in a novel manner which renders it wholly impossible for any unauthorized person to obtain access to the interior of the machine without knowledge of the proprietor or without forging his name or initials or such other sign as he may choose to write upon the seal.

Myinvention Will be explained in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a well known form of cash register having my invention applied to it; Fig. 2, an enlarged perspective detail of the portion of the lid to which the seal holder is secured, showing the lid of the holder thrown open; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section through the seal holder and lid; and Fig. 4, a detail perspective of a portion of the under side of the lid, showing the lock secured thereto.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

The working parts of the machine are inclosed within a casing A, having in its upper rear portion a glass-covered Window B, for the exposure of the indicators O,and provided in its lower forward side with vertical slots through which project the front ends of the usual operating key levers D having the numbered finger buttons E.

The casing is provided with a lid F hinged to the casing at its upper'rear edge at G and resting at itslower forward edge upon a cross piece of the casing at H. Secured upon the inner side of this lid adjacent its-lower edge is a lock 1, Fig. 4, whose barrel J projects through a suitable opening in the lid, Fig. 2, to permit the insertion of a key from the exterior of the casing, and whose bolt when thrown is adapted to co-operate with a recess in the cross piece H to lock the lid closed. Secured upon the outer side of the lid, opposite the lock I and around its barrel J, is the bottom or base plate L of a seal-holder, having hinged to its left hand end a cover or casing M provided at its middle with a circular opening which registers with the barrel J when the cover is closed as in Fig. 1.

Mounted in suitable bearings upon the plate L near its right hand end is a sliding catch N thrown outward by a coiled spring surrounding it. This latch is adapted to cooperate with a suitable ledge or catch upon the inside of the cover M at O to hold the cover closed. The outer end of the latch is beveled or rounded off so that the cover can readily be pressed to its closed position and automatically locked by the latch. When so closed and locked the cover cannot be released and opened to expose the parts beneath it except by unlocking and opening the main lid F of the machine. The catch has upon its under side a stud K projecting through a slot in the plate L and lid, so that by pressing upon this stud or a push piece Q projecting laterally from it, when the lid is opened, the cover M of the lock may be released and swung open. The plate L bears upon its face four conical projections R having bores or recesses in them adapted to receive four short pins S coincidently arranged upon the inner face of the cover M. The projections R and co-operating pins S are adapted to retain in place the seal T when the cover is closed. This seal, preferably of paper, is of suitable size and shape to fit over the four projections and cover the barrel of the lock, and is used in the following manner: After the proprietor has unlocked and opened the lid F and taken-off the registry and reset the registering wheels to zero, he will press the latch piece Q to the left and release the cover M of the seal-holder and swing it to open position, and then close and lock the lid F. He will then take a seal T and write upon it his name or initials or such other matter as he desires, and place it inside the cover M, pressing it down over the pins S so that it will be retained in place while he is closing the cover. He will then swing the cover to closed'position, causing it to be caught and locked by the latch N, and the pins S to enter the holes in the projections R on the plate L. It will now be impossible to get the lid F open without thrusting the key through the seal Tinto the barrel of the lock and unlocking the lid, so that access to the interior of the machine without the knowledge of the proprietor is effectively prevented. The blank side of the seal will be placed outward and exposed through the circular opening in the cover M, as seen in Fig. 1.

I am aware that seal-locks employing paper seals such as the seal T, which must be runtilated in order to insert the key in the lock, are old and have been used for many purposes, and I do not claim the same; but,

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a cash register having an inclosing casing provided with a lid which must be opened to obtain access to the registering mechanism of the machine, the combination, with such casing and lid, of a lock having a key-hole accessible to a key from the exterior of the casing, a seal-holder secured upon the exterior of the casing and arranged to hold a seal over the key-hole of the look, a lid or cover for said seal-holder which must be opened to remove and insert the seals, and means accessible only from the interior of the cash register casing for controlling the opening of such cover, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a cash register having an inclosing casing provided with a lid which must be opened to obtain access to the registering mechanism of the machine, the combination, with such casing and lid, of a lock having a key-hole accessible to a key from the exterior of the casing, a seal-holder secured upon the exterior of the casing and arranged to hold a seal over the key-hole of the look, a lid-or cover for said seal-holder which must be opened to remove and insert the seals, and a spring latch co-operating with such cover to automatically lock it when closed, said latch being accessible, to release the cover, only from the interior of the cash register casing, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

3. In a cash register, the combination, with the casing A having the hinged lid F, of the look I secured upon the inner side of the lid and having its barrel J projecting through the lid to the exterior thereof, the plate L secured upon the outer side of the lid opposite the lock and having an opening through which the barrel of the lock projects, the spring-pressed sliding latch N mounted in bearings upon the plate L and having a stud projecting through said plate and the lid to the inner side of the latter, the cover M hinged to the plate L and provided with an opening co-incident with the barrel of the lock and cooperating with the spring latch N, and means, as the pins S and cooperating recessed projections, for retaining the seal in place, substantially as and for the purpose described.

FRANK J. PATTERSON.

\Vitnesses:

PEARL N. SIGLER, JOSEPH P. CLEAL.

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